The present invention relates to an articulated tow vehicle having a separable power pack for moving wheeled skids.
Numerous devices have been employed for storing materials on skids and pallets in a plant or warehouse and moving the loaded skids or pallets with various hand operated towing devices and machine operated tow vehicles or forklift trucks. The utilization of forklift trucks in some warehouses is impractical and costly. The use of manual power to haul heavy loads has been impractical and injury prone in addition to exhaustion of laborers.
Numerous tow trucks for wheeled vehicles have been devised as reflected in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,962,105; 3,033,300; 3,179,196; 3,298,705; 3,662,989; 3,865,204, among others. However, such tow trucks or wheeled pallets are, for the most part, costly, difficult to maintain and/or difficult to maneuver in relatively confined areas.
It is the principal object of the present invention to provide an improved electric skid jack assembly that is simple to operate, easy to maintain, and highly maneuverable in restricted or confined areas.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide an improved, articulated electric skid jack assembly in which a skid jack section is readily separable from a power pack section whereby the skid jack section may be powered by a second power pack section while the first power pack section is being recharged.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a relatively compact electric skid jack assembly in which a skid jack portion is provided with a handle for guiding the skid jack when attached to a skid or pallel and one which is highly maneuverable even though attached to an electric power pack section.
The present invention provides an electric skid jack assembly in which a wheeled skid jack section is provided with an upwardly extending control handle and a housing in which the housing has a top mounted skid-engaging tongue with an electric motored gear drive mounted in the skid jack housing for driving the wheeled skid jack. A wheeled electric power pack provided with a storage battery is releasably connected to the rear end of the wheeled skid jack section with disengageable means for supplying electrical power from the power pack battery to the skid jack motor. The skid jack section is pivotally attached to the power pack by a linkage which allows tilting of the jack section into operative engagement with the skid to be moved without any attendant tilting or disturbing of the power pack section. Switch means is provided on the skid jack control handle for controlling the displacement of the skid jack and power pack for maneuvering the electric skid jack assembly to guide and maneuver a skid from one location to another.
Other objectives and many of the attendant advantages of this electric skid jack assembly will be more readily comprehended from the detailed description of the preferred embodiment and the accompanying drawings as well as the claims in which various modifications and equivalents are contemplated.